Fire Melts His Ice
by Purin Tama
Summary: When a new shinigami enters the 10th Division as the 3rd seat officer, Hitsugaya gradually finds himself being captivated by her outgoing and friendly approach, and realises once again the need to protect someone. Hitsugaya x OC. R&R please!
1. Arrival of 3rd Seat

**Fire Melts His Ice**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters.**

**I'll do my best not to make it too ooc w**

Arrival of the 3rd Seat

Hitsugaya completed the final stack of paperwork. Shoving it to a corner of his desk, he grabbed his cup and gulped down his tea. Hitsugaya was annoyed, as usual, that Matsumoto his lieutenant wasn't doing her share of paperwork. But she wasn't lazing around on the couch as usual. She was playing and doing some random things with the new seated officer.

Hotaru had been installed as the new 3rd seat officer the previous day. In many ways, she was very similar to Hitsugaya. For one thing, she was short. Shorter than him in fact. And she also had an element-based zanpakutou, except hers was of a fire element. From what Hitsugaya had heard, she was an exceptional child prodigy and was up to captain standard, probably even comparable to Hitsugaya himself, though it was unknown whether she had a bankai or not. If there was a difference, it was that Hotaru never stopped smiling and always had a positive view of everything. That, and she was the most random girl Hitsugaya had ever known.

It wasn't just Hitsugaya she was similar to. Hotaru's happy-go-lucky attitude and bright smile reminded him of another girl. Hinamori Momo. Hinamori had been a sister-like figure to Hitsugaya, having been his childhood friend. Unfortunately, she had been killed during the winter war with the arrancars. Hitsugaya remembered being struck mercilessly by the fact that he hadn't been able to protect Hinamori. He'd got over that a long time ago, but now that Hotaru had arrived, every single bitter memory came rushing back to him.

"Taichou!" It was Matsumoto, with Hotaru at her side.

"What is it?"

"Hotaru-chan just showed me how to fish properly. Wanna have salmon and pudding for supper?"

Hitsugaya sighed heavily. Matsumoto could come up with the weirdest ideas sometimes.

Hotaru suggested, "Or what about boiled tuna and red bean rice?"

"No thanks." Hitsugaya drew himself up and got out from the side of the desk. "I'm going to discuss something with Ukitake."

"Maybe he's got mood swings." He heard Matsumoto say as he walked out of the room.

**Kyaa! The first chappie is done! Reviews are appreciated but please don't flame .**

**I'll talk more about Hotaru-chan in the next chappie! Thanks for reading, minna-san! Ja ne **


	2. Unexpected Flame

Fire Melts His Ice

**Fire Melts His Ice**

**Yay we are at CHAPPIE 2 of ****Fire Melts His Ice****! No disclaimers cos I already wrote them at the first chapter. Hope you like it!**

Unexpected Flame

Hitsugaya walked into the office, expecting a mountain of paperwork on his table, with most of them Matsumoto's. But instead, his desk was clean. When he looked to the left, he saw Hotaru sitting cross-legged on the couch, stacks of documents balanced on her tiny lap. She was scribbling away with a quill pen, her face fixed in a cute expression.

Hotaru noticed Hitsugaya hovering at the doorway. "Ohayo, taichou!" She greeted with her typical radiant smile.

"Ohayo." Hitsugaya returned the greeting and retreated to his desk.

Hotaru finished up everything and flung her pen carelessly on the floor. "I've finished everything! While you and Rangiku-neesan were sleeping I thought I'd do your work to pass the time?"

_Instead of sleeping like a normal person?_ Hitsugaya thought. "That's…um…great. Where's Matsumoto?"

"She went out for a drink with Kira-san and Renji-niisan."

_That Matsumoto…_ Hitsugaya started to grumble.

Hotaru suddenly sprang up from the couch and said, "Ne, taichou? I'm kinda bored. Could we go one on one?"

"One…on one?" Hitsugaya didn't know what to say. Except that maybe this proved his theory about her randomness right. It wouldn't hurt his schedule anyway, so Hitsugaya agreed. _Weird girl…_

A while later, they were outside in the practice field. Hitsugaya stared blankly ahead with his usual sour expression until Hotaru said, "Don't go easy on me, taichou!"

_It's just a practice,_ Hitsugaya thought. His thoughts were interrupted by Hotaru's soft voice.

"Set ablaze. Hiyousei."

Without warning, there was an explosion and all Hitsugaya could see was fire.

**Sorry for the long wait, minna-san! (.) I know this chappie isn't really all that interesting, but I hope it's been keeping you happy! I shall commence with the fight chapter in the next chappie! Ja ne!**

**Hiyousei: lit. Fire Elf**

** Hotaru's zanpakutou**


	3. Ignite the Elf, the Flame, the Zanpakuto

**Fire Melts His Ice**

**Chapter 3 of ****Fire Melts His Ice****. Those of you who have been keeping tabs on this story ( which I doubt there are many ) you'll know I haven't updated in a looooong time. Mostly cos I forgot about this or I couldn't be bothered. Gome ne!**

Ignite the Elf, the Flame, the Zanpakutou

Hitsugaya quickly jumped back and unsheathed his sword, ready to attack.

Hotaru was holding out her sword. Its handle had turned red, as if it was being burnt. Her sword had elongated itself, and flames were leaping from its tip.

"Releasing your shikai so fast?" Hitsugaya said.

"It'd be boring if I didn't," Hotaru answered with a smile. "This is Hiyousei -- my zanpakutou -- she can really burn when she wants to."

Hotaru used her flash step and with lightning speed appeared above Hitsugaya, ready to bring the flaming blade down. With only a split second to react, Hitsugaya quickly blocked her attack with his sword.

_Her shunpo is that fast?_ He thought.

They fought for a while, Hitsugaya still refusing to release his shikai. He knew Hotaru would have the advantage when it came to the elements. Everytime Hotaru swung her sword, a blazing trail of flame would follow.

"Come on, show me what your zanpakutou does," Hotaru persisted, attempting to strike down his sword.

Hitsugaya countered her attack. "Why should I?"

"If you don't," Hotaru said. "I'll use more force."

"How so?"

"I'll use my bankai."

In that moment, Hitsugaya knew he was dealing with a lot more than he expected.

**Sorry for the extremely long, long, long, LONG wait, minna-san. I can't even remember when was the last time I published chapter 2. A-nyway, I kept this chapter relatively short, to get back in the swing of things. Thanks for waiting! Ja ne!**


	4. Let Me Hear Your Laugh

**Fire Melts His Ice**

**And here we are with Chapter 4 of ****Fire Melts His Ice****. I'm writing this right after I published Chapter 3, though I think it'll probably drag on. School is starting soon, and I'll be pretty much busy. Ugh, I just had to pick this time to start writing again. But anyway, I'll hope you enjoy. ( and I hope I can find as much time to write )**

**I'm trying to move as fast as I can into the plot so please bear with me (:**

Let Me Hear You Laugh

"...I'll use my bankai."

Hitsugaya caught his breath. "You...have a bankai?"

Hotaru nodded, touching the tip of her sword in a seemingly affectionate sort of way. "Well, I only do that when I'm bored. Which I will become if you don't even use your shikai, taichou-kun."

"I'm only taking this as a practice." Hitsugaya said, hardening his tone. "So I shouldn't have to even do that. What you're doing is nothing but a complete waste of energy."

Hotaru looked surprised. She cocked her head to one side and said, "Eh? Waste of energy? But...I'm not even using any effort. It's not like I'm using my bankai yet."

Hitsugaya didn't know what to say. He assumed Hotaru was only saying that to get him on his edge, so he clenched his sword and prepared to attack Hotaru while she was still standing there.

Just before he could rain down a blow on her shoulder, she disappeared. Before he knew what was going on, Hotaru reappeared, crouching on end of his blade. In one swift motion, she spun her sword around and used the hilt to stab him in the chest, forcing him to the ground.

_What the...am I usually this slow? Or is she too fast for me? That wouldn't be possible unless she had the swiftness of Yoruichi Shihouin's shunpo! _ Hitsugaya thought as he fell. On the ground he looked up at Hotaru. She had a earnest look of worry on her face, her eyes widening.

Indignant, Hitsugaya got up to his feet and looked straight at her. "Just what is your purpose of sparring with me? This wasn't just to pass the time, was it?"

"It sort of was," she looked back at him, her eyes radiating sheer innocence. "Back at the Academy people always said the 10th Division captain was a gifted prodigy, so I just wanted to see if I was capable of being the 3rd seat by trying you one on one. If I was thoroughly defeated by you, I shouldn't be, right?"

Hitsugaya wanted to tell her that people below liutenant rank were a far shot from captain's abilities, but thought she probably just had high standards for herself.

"All right," he said. "I don't want to waste anymore time. You've had your fun. I'm going back."

"Wait!"

Hitsugaya turned around, not quite sure what to expect. Hotaru hands were clasped together and she had a playful smile on her face.

"What do you like to eat, taichou-kun?"

_Does she take me for an idiot?_ Hitsugaya thought, sighing. "I don't know. The only snacks I eat are the rice cakes Matsumoto forced down my throat last time. I don't care."

Hotaru laughed. It was a beautiful, sunny laugh. "See you then!" she skipped away.

"..."

Hitsugaya shook his head and walked back to the 10th Division.

**Haha I published this right after the previous chapter, how great am I? J-ust kidding. I'm probably just spurred on after watching BLEACH: Fade to Black at the cinema! Haha, hope you enjoyed this chapter, minna-san! * bows ***


	5. Scars and Reminiscence of the Days

**Fire Melts His Ice**

**Merry Christmas! This is Chapter 5; my heart goes out to all of you who have been reading ( not much people though TT^TT ). I added a touch more Hitsu x OC into this part, so I hope you enjoy it.**

Scars and Reminiscence of the Days

Matsumoto waved her hand in front of her captain's face. "Hu-llo? Taichou?"

Hitsugaya, who had been deep in thought, snapped to. "What?" he said irritably.

"You're like, staring into space. You know, like you're brain dead or something. Is it because Hotaru kicked the ass out of you just now? It's time for dinner so perk up. Man, I hope dinner is gonna be just sake and more sake."

Normally Hitsugaya would have snapped back after a playful insult from his overly carefree liutenant, but instead he looked at her. "I need you to research something for me."

Matsumoto raised her eyebrows, obviously expecting a cranky retort. "Ah? Me? You know I hate reading."

"What is the 3rd seat officer's family name? Her information papers only indicated her given name."

"I don't know either." Matsumoto put her finger to her lip, thinking. "I only call her Hotaru. Guess I never thought about her family name. I thought you know."

"..." Hitsugaya took out the stack of papers regarding the new officer's particulars. At the top was simply the name 'Hotaru', and at the posting section was '10th Division 3rd Seat - _Special Request_'. _Special request?_ Hitsugaya thought, looking at the two words that rarely, or otherwise never, jumped out of officers' papers. Suddenly, he was aware of two heavy protuberant..._things_ on his shoulder.

"Oi, don't come near me!" Hitsugaya quickly moved away from Matsumoto, glaring at her.

Ignoring him, Matsumoto produced a sake bottle from behind her back and started chugging while staring at Hotaru's papers. "Special request? Wazzat?"

Hitsugaya shuffled the stack and shoved them in a drawer. "It's not something for lieutenants to see so just go and do what I said. Research. Now." He pushed back his chair and got up.

"Where are you going?" Matsumoto's voice started to sound slurred.

"Away from you."

"Aww! Taichou's such a meanie. I'm gonna tell on you to Hotaru-chan!"

"It's night time. Don't get drunk, for goodness' sake. You haven't done your work. I expect to see it by morning, get it? Get it? Matsumoto, stop drinking!"

Swearing in his mind, Hitsugaya walked out of the room, the stress of paperwork and the puzzling words on Hotaru's papers still loaded on his shoulders.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moon shone brightly, illuminating the roof of the 10th Division main room and the silhouette perched at the edge of it. Hitsugaya looked up at the moon, staring blankly into space for a few minutes. He had come up to the roof to temporarily escape from the rest of the world and let all the tension slip away. He did it sometimes when the stacks of his (and often Matsumoto's too) paperwork was taller than him, or when he was tired after a long day.

Out of the blue, Hitsugaya sensed someone's presence. He moved his hand to the his zanpakuto's hilt instinctively.

Hotaru appeared at the other edge of the roof. "Taichou-kun!" The glow of the moon rested on her already bright face. "What're you doing so late up here?"

_I should be asking her the same question_, Hitsugaya thought. "Nothing. I'm just sitting here. What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in your room."

"I wanted to go have a little wee but I thought I sensed taichou-kun up here so I wanted to see if it was."

"..." Hitsugaya turned away from her, willing her in his mind to go away and leave him alone in peace. Not getting the telepathic message, Hotaru climbed onto the roof. She crawled over next to Hitsugaya and sat down, as if refusing to leave him alone. He sighed.

"Aren't you cold, taichou-kun?"

'Don't call me that!" Hitsugaya started to get ticked off.

"But you _are_ a taichou!" Hotaru pouted. "What am I supposed to call you then?"

"Just leave out the '-kun'. You don't need any suffixes when referring to me as captain." He felt like he was speaking to a toddler. "Everyone calls me Hitsugaya taichou. Why can't you just call me that?"

"Too hard to say."

_Scratch toddler. I'm speaking to an incredibly stupid infant._ Hitsugaya thought. "There's nothing else you can call me, so just stick with Hitsugaya taichou. You're not above me so show some respect."

"I'm showing you respect by referring to you with a nice-sounding name."

"Which is?"

"I'll call you Toushirou-kun! It sounds like taichou-kun, and it's nicer than that Hitsu-something name of yours."

_Hitsu...something?_

Hotaru laughed. Strangely Hitsugaya felt somewhat drawn to it. It was like a lulling melody that captivated and enchanted everyone who heard it. When Hitsugaya looked at Hotaru, he was reminded of Hinamori. He realized how similar the two of them were.

"Tch. I don't really care what you call me anymore."

"Really? Yay!" Hotaru giggled. _Hinamori..._ Hitsugaya thought._ It's like they're related or something._

Hotaru tugged on her hair ribbon, allowing her shiny black hair to be loose. It was so long that it piled up on the roof behind her. Hitsugaya had never seen hair that long.

"Why's your hair so long?" He asked, his voice monotone. "It'll only get in the way when you fight."

Hotaru looked down at the white silk hair ribbon in her palm and smiled. "It's for the sake of my older brother."

"You have a brother?"

"Yes." Hotaru's smile seemed to be one of nostalgia. "When we were young he always told me my hair was beautiful when it was long, so I decided not to cut it because I admired everything about him, including what he thought of me. He was always kind to me and I loved him dearly, as well as my mother. The hair ribbon was hers. She said one day she would give it to me, so I took it from her when she was killed by a group of shinigami."

"Shinigami?" Hitsugaya's brow furrowed.

Hotaru nodded, a barely detectable show of pain inflicted in her eyes. Her smile was slowly fading. "After her death, me and my brother were left to fend for ourselves. We were living in the 76th District of Rukongai so everyday was like a brush with death for children like us. And since I only had my brother, I became more and more attached to him. The both of us also hated shinigami because they were the ones who killed our mother, and we promised each other that we would never become one ourselves. But then my brother went missing one day. I always thought he was killed, but then I heard some people saw him around, but I didn't know where. I tried finding him but I never did."

Hotaru paused to take a breath.

"So I had no choice but to come to Seireitei and become a shinigami, even though I knew I was breaking the promise between my brother and I." She bit her lip.

Hitsugaya slowly took it all in. Hotaru must have been desperate to save her own life to ignore a vow and become a shinigami. But why did she have such a strong, abnormal reiatsu? Hitsugaya had noticed it during their small fight. She was like the substitute shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo, with massive amounts of spiritual energy, except she had hers under control and didn't leak it out everywhere she went.

"Well...I'm getting tired." Hotaru rubbed her eyes. When she removed her fingers from her face, he noticed they were slightly wet. "I think I'll go back now...Toushirou-kun!" Hotaru smiled at Hitsugaya. Her smile suddenly seemed to shine more than the moon.

**This chapter was longer than usual, huh? Haha. I hope so. I'm sick of short chapters all the time. W-ell, I hope this had a little more romance than the first few chapters. Sorry, Hotaru's past wasn't that well crafted, but I can't seem to make it more tragic then it already is.**

**And that concludes Chapter 5. Stay tuned :D**


	6. Intruder Alert

**Fire Melts His Ice**

**Chapter 6. Dum dee dum. Ok I'm not exactly sure how many chapters I intend to make. I think I'll just go on and on until the story is finished. Maybe I'll even have a sequel! Haha.**

Intruder Alert

Yamamoto-Genryuusai Shigekuni stood at the front of the hall, all the captains of the Gotei 13 lined up before him. He banged his old staff to the floor and said, his hoarse but steady voice echoing off the walls, "This meeting shall now begin."

Hitsugaya looked at the floor, wondering what happened this time. The infrequent captains' meetings always had Yamamoto talking about some criminal act that had the captains standing completely still for an interminable period of time, and then opinions being voiced out, only to lead to irritating quarrels between them. As much as he disliked the impromptu meeting, he was curious to know what was going on.

Yamamoto cleared his throat. "Two days ago, an unknown individual entered Seireitei. He managed to get past the gatekeepers, which shows that he was of considerable strength. Until now, he has been appearing and disappearing, mostly confronting the weaker shinigami. He has some sort of abnormal ability to drain a person's spiritual energy, and then after using it against them, proceeded to kill them.

"One victim survived, however. Her reports show that his reiatsu had not been detected at all, which shows he is able to suppress it well. What I want all of the captains to do is to set up a reactive barrier around your respective division quarters in case this person attempts to infiltrate again. I will hold you responsible should you let the trespasser go by without you noticing. Also, bear in mind that all unranked shinigami under your respective divisions are forbidden to attempt to fight this person, as it is likely that they will get themselves killed."

After the meeting, Hitsugaya made his way back to his division. He took his time walking as he contemplated the issue Yamamoto had just shared with them. He remembered what had been said about the intruder's ability of consuming spiritual energy. _It's definitely one to watch out for..._ He thought. _Someone powerful...and dangerous._

He wondered whether Matsumoto would be able to put up a fight against him. Then he remembered Hotaru. He thought back to their little fight. Hotaru seemed to have a lot of power in her, but Hitsugaya never got to see the full extent of her powers yet. He decided to wait and let Hotaru release her full abilities when she wanted to. _Which shouldn't be so far away,_ he thought dryly to himself. _Considering she gets bored fast._

When Hitsugaya got back, he informed Matsumoto to spread the warning to the rest of the officers. Hotaru, who was with Matsumoto at the moment, seemed somewhat hyped up.

"Lemme at him, lemme at him!" She kept going. "I want to trash him up like a cat catches fish!"

"Sorry," Matsumoto nudged the stony-faced Hitsugaya apologetically. "I treated her to rice cakes with sweet red bean, so she's a little hyper now."

Hitsugaya glared at both of them. Couldn't they take this seriously? Hitsugaya sat down at his desk and looked at Hotaru properly for the first time. She was really small. Much shorter than Hitsugaya himself, and just as childish as the 11th Division's vice captain Yachiru. She didn't look like one who wielded a lot of power, yet she was practically radiating with huge amounts of spiritual energy. Hitsugaya wanted to know what power she held.

Whatever it was, he knew he was bound to find out soon.

**Haha so sorry for the lame title. I couldn't really think of anything else. And yeahs, I know this chapter was kind of boring, I'll try to write the exciting part soon! Till then, bye-beeeee!**


	7. Unappreciated Reunion

**Fire Melts His Ice**

**Here we are with Chapter 7. Um yeahs, sorry but the process is kinda slow. I don't really have time to write fanfics anymore. But I'll try! Really try! I love this story of mine whether you people do or not :D**

Unappreciated Reunion

The night was silent and full of tension. Hitsugaya stepped out into the cold wind. He could definitely feel it. A strange, roving presence nearby, walking the streets of Soul Society, possibly waiting for more souls to kill. Hitsugaya's intuition told him it was the man Yamamoto had spoken of. He had to be on his guard tonight. It was too much of a risk to leave the division quarters and give an open chance for assaults, even though strong barriers had been put up.

After a while, Hitsugaya decided to go back in. Just as he was about to put his foot in the doorway, he felt the slightest, barely noticeable twitch in the atmosphere. Instinctively, his hand shot to his hilt. The leaves of the bush behind rustled, and he whipped his head around. As soon as he turned around, he quickly turned back and unsheathed his sword to block the blade that was fast on its way to his face.

Hitsugaya jumped back. The attacker raised his blade. In the next second, he shot forward and thrust his sword at Hitsugaya. Hitsugaya warded off the blows as quickly as they were coming. In between the exchanging of blows, he hissed, "Who the hell are you?"

The man didn't answer. He jumped back, his feet scraping the grass-dusted floor.

"Who are you?" Hitsugaya repeated. "If you don't tell me, I will kill you faster than you can blink."

The man spoke. "I suppose there's no point in telling you since you'll be dead soon," he sneered. "but I'll tell you anyway. I am Ikeuchi Asou, the man who will not let anyone pass him alive."

"Really." Hitsugaya raised his brow in silent contempt.

Hitsugaya saw the gleam of Ikeuchi's blade. A split-second later, it clashed with his own sword. Hitsugaya kicked him in the stomach, and brought his sword down. Ikeuchi quickly fended it off.

Just as Hitsugaya was about to release his shikai, a voice called out from the dark.

"Toushirou-kun!"

_Damn,_ Hitsugaya thought. _What's she doing here?_

Hotaru leapt out of the bushes, clutching her sword. "I thought I sensed something wrong, and you weren't in your office, so I came to find you!"

"Go back inside," he ordered. "You don't want to be out here now."

"Yes, scram, little girl. Don't interrupt us, eh, Hotaru-chan?" Ikeuchi said, a smirk forming on his face.

_Hotaru...chan?_

Hotaru turned to face the stranger who had said her name. She took a look at his face and her sword slipped out from her hands. It fell on to the grass, but she took no notice.

Hitsugaya was slightly perturbed, but he didn't have any time to waste. He lashed out his sword in a flash, ready to take Ikeuchi on again.

But his sword never got to even touch Ikeuchi's. Instead, it clashed with Hotaru's, which made a shrill, piercing sound. Hotaru had used shunpo to dash in front of Ikeuchi to block the attack. For a while, there was a tense silence.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hitsugaya said, in a voice that normally made some people blanch.

Hotaru stared straight back at him. She had a look of both defiance and desperation in her eyes, a look that Hitsugaya had never seen in her before. Her brow was furrowed, and she was biting her lip. Behind her, Ikeuchi smiled smugly.

"Hotaru, get out of the way!" Hitsugaya barked.

"No." Hotaru gripped her hilt.

"I said, GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Hitsugaya shouted, his temper and confusion rising. He was frustrated and perplexed with Hotaru's sudden rebellion.

"I WON'T!" She yelled back, ducking her head.

"Why are you doing this? You're protecting the enemy. It's my job to kill the man responsible for so many assaults!"

"Don't you dare," Hotaru gasped, her eyes suddenly blazing. "_Don't you dare hurt my brother!_"

Hitsugaya stiffened with shock. _Brother...Hotaru's brother...Ikeuchi is her brother? The one she said was dead?_ His mind raced with questions.

He tried to remained composed. He bore his gaze straight into Hotaru's eyes. Hitsugaya would have to turn this reckless girl's thinking straight, or it could be her downfall soon.

"Whoever he is, brother or not, he is the enemy." Hitsugaya pointed his sword at Ikeuchi, who was still staring coldly at them. "He is the one blacklisted in the whole of Soul Society, and it is our duty to bring him down. I don't want any personal issues to come between this."

For a moment, Hotaru's jaw quivered. Then she spoke, her voice calm and steady.

"You think you're so right," she said. "You think just because you're my superior so you can give me all this pompous crap. But you're just a single-minded, workaholic, pathetic person who doesn't have any humane feelings whatsoever. You don't know anything at all. YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME OR MY BROTHER, SO SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Hotaru drew back her sword and leapt at Hitsugaya. Their swords clashed. Hitsugaya was appalled at her sudden show of fury. Who did she think she was? A criminal was standing right before them and she was letting him go --

Just as he was in the middle of his thoughts, Ikeuchi sheathed his sword. "I see there is no use in continuing a fight now," he said. "I shall return when you are alone, captain."

With that, he disappeared into the night. Hitsugaya was filled with sudden anger. He drove Hotaru back with all his strength, snarling, "You're going to regret this!"

If he wanted to see Hotaru's powers, it was now. He had done more than enough to provoke her. And he was right. Hotaru suddenly released a huge amount of spiritual energy. An orange glow surrounded her, and the tip of her sword burst into flames. Hitsugaya remembered this as the fiery release of her shikai. Except this time it seemed stronger than it was the last time Hotaru had used it. Hitsugaya suddenly didn't want to make her release her bankai and create more chaos. What was he thinking, wanting to test her powers? There was more than enough to deal with already. He had to put a stop to this immediately, even if he had to release his own shikai.

"Soten ni zase, Hyourinmaru!" The sky turned completely black and the ice dragon roared behind Hitsugaya. Hitsugaya dove towards Hotaru, aiming his blade.

Hotaru deftly spun her sword, and released a huge ball of fire at him. Hitsugaya slashed it aside. The one second of distraction was all it took for Hotaru to appear directly at his face and apply a blow to his face. Suddenly, there was a thin gash running across his cheek from the nose to the ear. Blood dripped down and Hitsugaya stood, furious with himself. He couldn't help it though, Hotaru's shunpo was fast beyond anyone's he'd seen. Her speed matched that of Yoruichi, maybe even faster. Why was she so powerful? Her abilities surpassed that of any 3rd seat. It was strange that she hadn't been made a captain. Hitsugaya's mind flicked back to the time he had come across her papers.

_Special Request._ The two words that had been on her papers. Hitsugaya had never been more curious to find out the meaning of it. But if it wasn't enough, he had an escaped intruder to deal with. And Hotaru had let him go just like that.

Filled with a sudden blaze of anger, Hitsugaya surged forward and blindly slashed at Hotaru. She had been trying to find an attack spot, and was distracted momentarily. Hitsugaya's attack hit her directly at her torso. Just like that, the flame evaporated from the hilt of her zanpakutou, and it dulled in colour. Hotaru's mouth was open with shock, and she fell to the ground.

For a moment, Hitsugaya wondered if he had gone too far. But when he reached her, he saw that her eyes were still blazing with fury and pure hatred.

"It's your own fault," he said coldly. "You allowed the intruder to escape, and it is my right as your superior to punish you." Though as he said the words himself, deep down he felt somewhat unsure of himself. He wasn't exactly guilty, but he hadn't meant to hurt her, really.

Hotaru's head was lowered. Her fists were clenched tightly. "Get the hell out of my sight," She said. She refused to look up.

"Hotaru," Hitsugaya began.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Hotaru shouted. She looked up and hit Hitsugaya's gaze with a glare full of anger and hatred.

Hitsugaya turned and walked back to the division quarters. Once he was inside, he slammed his fist of the table. There was so many things going through his mind. Ikeuchi was the main problem, and then now Hotaru. He was still trying to go through the fact the Ikeuchi was the brother Hotaru had spoken of so reverently. As he mulled over it, he glanced out the window. It had started raining. Hotaru was kneeling in the grass, her face lowered to her knees. Her sword was lying beside her. Hitsugaya looked away. He didn't want to deal with this.

***************

Hotaru lay in the grass, trying to blot out the pain in her abdomen. The wound wasn't that serious, but she was still livid. And she was so confused too. That had been her brother, wasn't it? She was sure of it. And he'd recognized her too. So why hadn't her brother been overjoyed to see her? She had been shocked, but she had also been immensely pleased that the brother she thought was dead had just appeared before her. In fact, scratch pleased. She had been utterly ecstatic. But then that Toushirou-kun just had to ruin everything. He'd ruined their reunion with each other. Hotaru didn't care that her brother had done some bad deeds, it didn't give Toushirou-kun the right to strike him down. She wanted to protect him, to be with him once more. But everything had gone wrong.

Hotaru suddenly felt like crying. More than anything, she wanted her brother. She wanted to hug him, to tell him that she cherished her brother more than anyone else in the world. She missed her brother, who had protected and loved her.

"Onii-tama," Hotaru sobbed. "Come back, please come back. I don't care what you've done. Onii-tama!"

Suddenly, someone stepped in front of Hotaru. Hotaru looked up. It couldn't be...it was her brother. "Onii-tama!" she cried.

His expression was soft and kind, just as she remembered it. He held out his arms. Unable to control herself, Hotaru dragged herself up and threw herself into his open arms. She hugged him tightly, half-sobbing, half-smiling. "Onii-tama...onii-tama!" Hotaru looked up at him, beaming. "I've missed you so much! I'm so happy...so happy you're alive...I'm so happy..."

Her brother smiled down at her. "I'm glad," He said, stroking the top of her head. "I'm glad that you've been safe all this while. But tell me, Hotaru-chan. Why are dressed in shinigami clothes and wielding a sword?"

"Huh?" Hotaru looked up, puzzled.

Suddenly, there was a horrible, stabbing sound. Blood spurted into the air, and fell on Hotaru's face. She stood there, stunned. Hotaru looked down. There was a sword plunged into her stomach. She looked up at her brother. The warm, loving gaze had been replaced by a cool stare. As she took it all in, the pain started to double up in her, and she gasped.

"You broke a promise." Her brother pushed Hotaru roughly to the ground. "But that's actually the least of my issues."

"Onii...tama...?" Hotaru whispered, tears starting to trickle down the sides of her face. She couldn't move, she couldn't talk anymore.

And then everything went black.

**********

The cold night wind brushed past Hitsugaya as he sped as fast as he could towards where Hotaru had fallen. He had been thinking hard about how to track down Ikeuchi, and then he'd seen Ikeuchi himself appear before Hotaru. Before he had time to contemplate whether or not he should step in, Ikeuchi had attacked Hotaru without warning.

Hitsugaya reached the place where Ikeuchi was still standing over Hotaru's limp body, panting slightly.

"What did you do to her?" He said aggressively.

Ikeuchi ignored him, and wiped his blade. Hitsugaya whipped his zanpakutou out and directed a blow at him. He was sickened by his presence, and he wanted to kill him more than ever.

It seemed that Ikeuchi's shunpo ability was on par with his sister's. He instantly shifted himself, and Hitsugaya sliced thin air.

"You're wasting your time," Ikeuchi said still not looking at Hitsugaya. "Just like this sister of mine. Honestly, I can't believed how I lived with her for so long. So obsessed with me, always trying to please others. Really, it's sickening."

Hitsugaya suddenly felt a sense of defensiveness for Hotaru. He thought of the way she had treated her brother with such reverence, of how much love she gave him her whole life. And Ikeuchi still had the nerve to condemn her like this. Before he could say anything though, a strange, cold feeling washed over him. Hitsugaya's entire body went numb and limp. He couldn't seem to move his limbs. The worst part was, he felt as if his spiritual energy was being sucked out of him.

Then Hitsugaya remembered what the head captain had said about Ikeuchi's dangerous ability. The ability to absorb even the most alert shinigami's spiritual energy.

"Damn...it!" Hitsugaya gritted his teeth.

Ikeuchi grasped his sword and proceeded to attack him while he couldn't move.

**REALLY long chapter, huh? It took me a while to write it, I just couldn't find a better way to describe their fights. And yeahs, if you notice this, I kind of based the part about Ikeuchi stabbing Hotaru on the Hinamori / Aizen thing. Y'know, when Aizen stabs Hinamori when they're hugging. Haha :D Wells, I hope this chapter has been a little more exciting for you.**


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